Container and closure cap

ABSTRACT

The invention contemplates a plastic bottle or container for the storage and selective dispensing of fluent material, such as liquid adhesive, through a dispensing opening at the end of an outwardly projecting neck. Interfitting cap and neck parts establish and assure sealing when the container is closed. The cap includes a central projecting stem which achieves a sealing interference fit with the opening, and the skirt of the cap is relied upon to engage and secure the cap to the base of the neck.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Marvin S. Greenhut 537,888 4/1895 Chase 222/546X Massapeque, N.Y. 2,849,739 9/1958 Dresden 222/546X [2]] Appl. No. 747,510 3,282,478 11/1966 Russell 222/546X 1 Filed d E! 3 FOREIGN PATENTS [45] Patente y 1 322 352 2/1963 France 222/546 [73] Assignee Grow Chemical Corp New York, N. 760,292 10/1956 Great Britain 222/546 Primary Examiner-Samuel F. Coleman Attorney-Hopgood & Calimafde [54] CONTAINER AND CLOSURE CAP 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

222/563 1].- Cl- The invention contemplates a bottle or [50] Field ofSearch 222/546, container f h t rage and selective dispensing of fluent 563 material, such as liquid adhesive, through a dispensing opening at the end of an outwardly projecting neck. lnterfitting cap [56] References cued and neck parts establish and assure sealing when the container UNITED STATES PATENTS is closed. The cap includes a central projecting stem which 2,677,482 5/1954 Lehmarm 222/546X achieves a sealing interference fit with the opening, and the 2,734,665 2/1956 Flamm 222/563X skirt of the cap is relied upon to engage and secure the cap to 3,240,405 3/1966 Abbott 222/546X the base of the neck.

ll In i Patented May 11, um 3,578,224

1 CONTAINER AND CLOSURE CAP ,This invention relates to an improved construction for a container to be selectively opened, closed and sealed, as for the selective containment, preservation, and dispensingof a Still another object is to provide, in such a construction.

such piloting of parts during the process of closure as to assure nonfouling engagement of locking parts, such as threads, relied upon to secure final closure.

' A general object is to achieve the foregoing objects with an all-plastic construction, involving but two integral molded parts, which are inexpensive yet precisely formed, to assure trouble-free operation for repeated small dispensings of fluent material.

Other objects and various further features of novelty and invention will be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In said drawings, which show, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred form of the invention:

FIG. I is a view in elevation of a container and closure cap of the invention, shown in closed relation; I

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded view of the parts of FIG. 1, shown partly broken away and in longitudinal section;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are views similar to FIG. 2, to illustrate successive relationships of the part during a closing operation; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of fitted elements at closure.

Briefly stated, the invention contemplates a plastic bottle or container for the storage and selective dispensing of fluent material, such as liquid adhesive, through a dispensing opening at the end of an outwardly projecting neck. lnterfitting cap and neck parts establish and assure sealing when the container is .closed. The cap includes a central projecting stem which achieves a sealing interference fit with the opening, and the skirt of the cap is relied upon to engage and secure the cap to the base of the neck. The stem projection and the profiles responsible for these engagements are such that first the stem then the skirt of the cap provide concentric piloting stability so that nonfouling engagement of threads may be assured, for achievement of final closed position.

In the drawings, the invention is shown in application to a container having a body 10 for containing a supply of fluentr'naterial such as a liquid adhesive, and a removable closure cap 11. The body 10 may be of any shape but is conveniently generally pencil-shaped, for ready manual manipulation. It may thus be generally tubular as shown and, if made of squeezable material, it may have but one opening, for

dispensing at the end served by the closure cap 11. The body 10 may be formed in a single molding operation (e.g., blowmolding), using one of the suitably tough, yet somewhat pliable or yieldable, plastics currently available, Low density polyethylene is eminently suitable for most adhesives.

The dispensing end of the body 10 is seen in FIG. 2 to integrally include an outwardly projecting tubular neck 12, con nected thereto by a short radial shoulder 12. For convenience of finger-grasping, the body part 14 adjacent shoulder 13 is generally frustoconical, being preferably characterized by longitudinal flutingsor flats, for enhancement of stiffness.

The neck 12 is of generally tapered formation, reducing to a blunted point or small end 15, at which locale the bore of the neck has its greatest constriction 16, the latter being shown as a short straight cylindrical bore, of limited length L The wall thickness throughout body 10, including the grip section 14,

as well as at shoulder and neck 12, may thus be essentially the same, as suggested in the drawings.

The external contour of neck 12 is preferably such as to achieve its-substantial flare, or expanded diameter development, in substantially the initial half of its effective longitudinal extent; this serves a piloting function, inter alia, which will later be more clear. The remaining effective longitudinal extent L of neck 12, i.e., in the locale of adjacency to shoulder 13, may be of lesser taper or substantially cylindrical, as shown at 17. Various techniques may be employed to achieve final securing action, but in the preferred form'shown I employ threads 18 integral with and rising out of the surface 17. Two full turns of a single thread 18 have been found to achieve highly satisfactory action.

The cap 11 is preferably of harder and stiffer material than the body 10. It may, for example, be a metal screw machine part, but this is more expensive than necessary. I prefer to make cap 11 as another unitary molded-plastic element; high density polyethylene is indicated as a satisfactory material. Cap 11 may be described as generally cup-shaped, having a skirt or sidewall 20 which is shown gently flaring outwardly, from a base or closed end -21, to a wide or open end 22. Integral with the inner surfaces of base 21 is a central elongated stem 23, which ends substantially beyond the open end 22, to serve inter alia as an applicator or spreader. For convenience, the outer surface of cap 11 is formed with knurls, flutings or the like, for enhanced finger-grasping effectiveness. Preferably, stem 23 has a slightly tapered character, running from a tip end which is small enough to permit relatively free entering insertion in the opening 16, to a diametral extent which involves interference-fit with opening 16 prior to achievement of full-closure position. FIG. 3 illustrates substantially the extent of insertion of stem 23, by the time the interference fit at 16 begins to develop. Continued taper of stem 23 assures growing interference-fit action, with accompanying radial expansion of the nose or dispensing region 15, as cap 11 is brought to the home or closed position (FIG. 5). It will be understood that the resilience of the material of body'l0 permits this expansion while enhancing the radially inward compressional loading on stem 23, by reason of the expanded nose 15.

It will be appreciated that stem 23 serves a self-centering or piloting action for cap 11 as it approaches the home position. During the final approach, a further piloting action results from onset of slight interference between the skirt 20 (at end 22) and the rising flared profile of neck 12; the relation of parts at this instant is shown in FIG. 4. There then remains but the final increment of displacement, against the resistance of both piloting interference fits, to achieve the home position of FIG. 5. This final increment involves the effective length of thread 18, and is achieved by an easy push and twist action, whereby a corresponding radially inward thread 24 near the open end of the inner wall of skirt 20 is engaged with thread 18. Two turns of cap 1 1 drive it tightly against shoulder 13.

In fabricating the cap 11, care should be taken to allow clearance between the inner wall of skirt 20, at location 25, for expansion of the dispensing region 15. Care should preferably also be taken to allow radial clearance 26 between the stem 23 and that part of neck 12 which involves thread engagement and cap interference fit with surface 17.

In use, the blunt end of neck 12 serves alike for squeezed dispensing and general spreading of the fluent contents of the container. Stem 23, having substantially uniform flexibility by virtue of its tapered section, serves admirably for more uniform spreading action. Should excess fluent material remain on stem 23 when it is replaced on neck 12, the action at opening 16 is to wipe the stem clean, leaving-a small residue in an ample annular storage region 27 within and near the base of cap 11. This in no way interferes with the clearance for expansion of region 15, to achieve sealing effectiveness. The two longitudinally spaced points of concentric piloting support for cap 11 assure nonfouling thread entry at all times, for simple and final thread-driven completion of the closure. Similarly,

the thread drive enables clean retraction and parting of any surfaces that may have stuck during periods between usage.

While the invention has been described in detail for the preferred form shown, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In combination, a unitary molded-plastic container in cluding a shoulder at one end and a neck having a bore and a communicating reduced diameter opening at a dispensing end projecting away from said shoulder, and a unitary cup-shaped cap having a peripheral skirt and an elongated tapered central stern carried by the bottom of the cup and projecting within and beyond the open end of the cup and into said opening, said container being of relatively yieldable material and said cap being of relatively nonyieldable material, said stem being sized for guided entry in and passage through said opening of said neck, interfering retaining means cooperating between said neck and said cap near said shoulder for holding the skin of said cap in a closed position against said shoulder, thereby defining a seal between said shoulder and said cap, and an annular space between said neck and said cap, the neck opening having an interference-fit relation with said stem prior to attainment of the closed position of said cap and throughout further approach to said closed position, said stem having radial clearance within the bore of the neck opening at the longitudinal locale of said cooperating retaining means, and said neck having radial clearance within said cap at a second longitudinal locale spaced from said first-mentioned locale and at the region of said interference-fit.

2. The combination of claim 1, in which said interfering retaining means comprises threads on said neck and cap.

-3. The combination of claim 2, in which said threads engage substantially upon close approach to closed position of said cap and neck.

4. The combination of claim 1, in which said stem is characterized by a tapered contour in which the projecting free end thereof is sized for essentially free, noninterfering piloting entry into the neck opening. 

1. In combination, a unitary molded-plastic container including a shoulder at one end and a neck having a bore and a communicating reduced diameter opening at a dispensing end projecting away from said shoulder, and a unitary cup-shaped cap having a peripheral skirt and an elongated tapered central stem carried by the bottom of the cup and projecting within and beyond the open end of the cup and into said opening, said container being of relatively yieldable material and said cap being of relatively nonyieldable material, said stem being sized for guided entry in and passage through said opening of said neck, interfering retaining means cooperating between said neck and said cap near said shoulder for holding the skirt of said cap in a closed position against said shoulder, thereby defining a seal between said shoulder and said cap, and an annular space between said neck and said cap, the neck opening having an interferencefit relation with said stem prior to attainment of the closed position of said cap and throughout further approach to said closed position, said stem having radial clearance within the bore of the neck opening at the longitudinal locale of said cooperating retaining means, and said neck having radial clearance within said cap at a second longitudinal locale spaced from said first-mentioned locale and at the region of said interference-fit.
 2. The combination of claim 1, in which said interfering retaining means comprises threads on said neck and cap.
 3. The combination of claim 2, in which said threads engage substantially upon close approach to closed position of said cap and neck.
 4. The combination of claim 1, in which said stem is characterized by a tapered contour in which the projecting free end thereof is sized for essentially free, noninterfering piloting entry into the neck opening. 